Insider Selling: Warner Bros. Discovery (NASDAQ:WBD) Director Sells $5,670,000.00 in Stock

Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBD) Director Kenneth Lowe sold 200,000 shares of Warner Bros. Discovery stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.35, for a total value of $5,670,000.00. Following the sale, the director owned 790,108 shares in the company, valued at $22,399,561.80. This represents a 20.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Warner Bros. Discovery Stock Down 0.4%

WBD traded down $0.12 during trading on Friday, reaching $28.25. The stock had a trading volume of 11,491,413 shares, compared to its average volume of 22,672,727. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $27.06 and its two-hundred day moving average is $27.25. The company has a current ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90. The company has a market capitalization of $70.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -22.24 and a beta of 1.57. Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. has a one year low of $11.77 and a one year high of $30.00.

Warner Bros. Discovery (NASDAQ:WBD) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The company reported $0.06 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.14) by $0.20. The firm had revenue of $8.72 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.25 billion. Warner Bros. Discovery had a negative net margin of 8.77% and a negative return on equity of 8.91%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 11.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.63 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. will post -1.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WBD has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Freedom Capital raised shares of Warner Bros. Discovery from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Zacks Research upgraded Warner Bros. Discovery from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 25th. UBS Group raised their price objective on Warner Bros. Discovery from $30.00 to $31.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Seaport Research Partners cut Warner Bros. Discovery from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Finally, Guggenheim reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Warner Bros. Discovery in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $27.69.

More Warner Bros. Discovery News

Here are the key news stories impacting Warner Bros. Discovery this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Warner Bros. Discovery reached a deal with Turkey’s Doğuş Media Group to bring Turkish scripted programming to HBO Max. The agreement could improve the service’s international content offering and subscriber appeal. WBD partners with Doğuş to bring Turkish drama to HBO Max
• Positive Sentiment: WBD launched a shoppable streaming experience in Poland, creating a potential new advertising and commerce revenue channel. The financial impact is likely limited initially but supports its broader streaming monetization strategy. WBD launches shoppable streaming experience in Poland
• Neutral Sentiment: WBD will discontinue the standalone discovery+ app in India, apparently consolidating content within a broader HBO Max strategy. The move could reduce operating complexity, although it may risk disrupting some existing customers. WBD to discontinue standalone discovery+ app in India
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts maintain a consensus “Hold” rating on WBD, indicating limited conviction that the stock’s recent gains will continue without clearer improvement in profitability and its streaming outlook. WBD given consensus Hold rating
• Negative Sentiment: A director sold 200,000 WBD shares for approximately $5.67 million, reducing his direct holdings by 20.2%. While the sale may be personal or portfolio-related, the sizable insider transaction can weigh on sentiment. SEC insider-trading filing
• Negative Sentiment: A reported state antitrust lawsuit threatens Paramount’s proposed Warner Bros. Discovery deal, raising uncertainty over regulatory approval, timing and the potential value of the transaction. State antitrust lawsuit threatens Paramount’s Warner Bros. deal
• Negative Sentiment: Higher-rate expectations are pressuring higher-valuation media and streaming stocks. Although WBD has held relatively steady versus peers, the sector-wide repricing is limiting near-term upside. Rate repricing pressures streaming stocks

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Warner Bros. Discovery

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its position in Warner Bros. Discovery by 304.9% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 68,950 shares of the company’s stock valued at $729,000 after purchasing an additional 51,920 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its position in Warner Bros. Discovery by 50.5% in the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 63,254 shares of the company’s stock worth $679,000 after purchasing an additional 21,228 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC raised its stake in Warner Bros. Discovery by 6.2% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 65,082 shares of the company’s stock valued at $698,000 after buying an additional 3,779 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth raised its stake in Warner Bros. Discovery by 91.6% during the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 116,821 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,254,000 after buying an additional 55,837 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Baird Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Warner Bros. Discovery by 3.8% during the 2nd quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 111,450 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,277,000 after buying an additional 4,062 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 59.95% of the company’s stock.

About Warner Bros. Discovery

Warner Bros. Discovery (NASDAQ: WBD) is a global media and entertainment company formed when WarnerMedia and Discovery, Inc combined their businesses in 2022. Headquartered in New York City, the company assembles a broad portfolio of film and television production, linear and cable networks, streaming services and consumer distribution operations. Its assets span well-known studio brands, premium scripted and unscripted programming, news and factual entertainment, and licensed franchise properties.

The company’s core activities include film and television production and distribution through units such as Warner Bros.